Lead bend and the like



Oct 1.6, 1934. R. DICK LEAD BEND AND THE LIKE Filed July 20. 1932 wn m m m EYS.

BY m l 1 Patented Oct. 16, 1934 PATENT OFFICE.

LEAD'BEND AND .THE LIKE Robert Dick,` Bergeneld, N. J., `assignor tov National Lead "Company, avcorpration olA New fJersey fApplication July `720, 19

sa. serial fNd. V623,481

s' clams.' i (01.-285-74) The object of this'invention is improvement of the connections used for connecting fixtures, such. as sinks, ,toilet bowlsand the like, to their soil pipe lines.` .such systems, particular condif--lvl tions .are encounteredincident to the .relative movement between the .fixture and the soil line,v such movement occurringjfromithe .fact'that the vertical soil pipe varies in length with changes of its temperature, whereas the various fixtures,

"i beingy mounted on the. floors of the building, are

relatively stationary, though also subject4 in fact to-some change of position due to beam shrinking andrsagging oors. `On account of this movement which is more orless continuous, it is customary vto form the connections of such xtures to their soil lines in 'part at least of a lead section or pipe, bent or curved, so as to be 'capable of flexing in accommodation to. the change of posi' tion and termed in: the trade `as a lead bend or. "4 trap, according to the particular shape of the curvature. ,Such lead pipe sections are ordinarily connected directly to the iixture on the one'hand and to. .the soil pipe on the otherby means'of vaA ferrule of` brass orhardxmetaL'one end of the. 251ferrule being telescoped .and tightly caulkedintothe. bell Yopening of. thesoil pipeand its other. end solderedto the lead pipe by means of a wiped. joint." A wiped jointismade by molding or Wipingl a bulbousmass of solder about the junction of two pieces to be connected and such joints are'the i customary mode of attachmentbetween thexlead and thebrass ferrule in these connec-tl tions, being v:made by theplumber at the time of. makingtlie installation. Special skill and carel are required in their making in order that the strains of .the relative movement above vreferred toshallgnot weaken or break the bond so. as toI produce leakage and also in order that there shall be'no interior edge or lip left .projecting onthe` inside ofthe .joint likely to catch and accumu`' late solidmatterand .result in clogging theflow through the connection; Theconstructioiilof a wiped joint, which is secure' Vand -internally smooth and strong enough `to .carrysafely the incident' strains, requires not only experience, but. also a certain knack which masterplumbers find difficult to securein their workmen with the resultthat themaking` of these connectionsV consti. tutes a relatively expensivepartof every. plumbingjob. 'Y'.

The object of this invention is tov provide a; simpler methodof making the installation which will:eliminatethedifculties referred to and en -f able the movement-accommodating connection to be made and installed at a lower cost and with a.-

securer and betterv attachment and a smoother internalv joint .surface than can be readily produced by thev wiped joint method now generally in use.` Thisobject is accomplished in part by producingthe complete connection, viz. lead pipe section and brass ferrule, permanently joined together, as a unitary manufactured article, ready to be connected to the iixture at one end and caulked into the soil pipe at the other by the usual method of caulking, and also in part by the character of the joint between the. lead and the brass',` which joint is exceptionally secure and particularly suited to carry the continuous strain incident to the relative movement of the parts` above referred to, besidesbeing internally 70. smoother and capable of production at a saving of some 20% ofthe cost of making such connections according to the old andhitherto customary method. The new article is thus a combined lead bend or trapv and brass ferrule, having its two members united in a secure manner now about to be described in detail and with reference to its4 preferred form. I y

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. l illustrates the new article .in elevation. Fig. 2V illustrates 80 for rcomparison and old style wiped joint, such as heretoforeused in these iixture connections between the lead and brass sections. The rema'iningv lfigures represent successive stages in the ,manufacture of the new article, Fig. 3 rep- 85 resenting the lead pipe and the brass ferrule in separatedpositions Aprior to their attachment. Fig. 4 represents the same parts telescoped and in process of'being joined. Fig. 5 represents a further stage and Fig. 6, a section of the nished joint in larger'scale.`

The lead bend is commonly formed in an extrusion press,lalthough it can be made otherwise. After beingA cut' or trimmed to a determined dimension, the'end which is to be attached to the 95 ferrule 2V is either tinned for a certain distance from its end, or scraped bright or `freedof oxide, as 'indicated above line 3 in Fig. 3, and if desired, the portion of it below the line 3, can be painted with `-`so-)called plumbers soil, to' keep 190 any vexcess metal from sticking to it and thus produceaneater iinish for the completed joint. The brass ferrule 2 is tinned on its inside andprefergably on its outside also, as indicated at Li-and as maybe done by dipping the end of the ferrule in a molten solder bath, to the necessary depth. Thereupon the end of the lead pipe 1 is-telescoped into the tinned end of the brass ferrule as indicated by Fig. 4, the lead pipe being appropriately heldin-asuitable clamp, diagrammatically indiwith the ferrule, it will continue to exert outward pressure upon such wall. For this purpose itV may conveniently be a hollowsteel cylinder or plug,`

slitted, as indicated in Fig..4=,' to give it V,the resilience referred to, being also tapered at its end so as to enter the lead pipe easily, expanding it, and smoothing it but otherwise without-deforming it. The act of introducing the plugwilltendg to bevel somewhat the inner edge of the lead pipe wnich isa minor advantage of the process. 1.. l.

It will be understood that the tinningfismerely a coating of solder metal, usually. an alloy l of 50% tin and 50% lead,.which has a melting eff point considerably lower than that of the lead pipe 1 and of course much lower than the melting point covered and protected by a ring of cast metal and.

of the brass ferrule 2. .Y Y

With the parts held inthe relation of Fig. 4, and the lead and brass pressed into contact, a flame or equivalent heating 'agency is applied to the exterior tinned surface of the ferrule long enough to raise its temperature above the fusion point of the lsolder coating or `tinning, lbut not j `above that of the leadpipe. Thereby the tinning 35 between the lead pipe and the ferrule is fused and the pressure still exerted by the resilient eX- pander 'l presses the lead still vfurther outwardly into a close and circumferentially uniform bear-- bond is thus formed when the tinning cools, but the excess lsqueezed out; is-slight and not suicient in amount to result in anyl interior projection inside the joint; "it may vbecome manifested as a small bank or llet of solder occupying the corner between the end of the lead pipe'and the'wall i of the ferrule, as indicated at 9fin' Fig. 6.

While Vthe temperature ofthe .parts is still above or close to the fusion'pointof the tinning solder, and while the expander remains 'in place,`. a two-part mold 10 is brought' into position,f clamping the lead pipe around and below its june'- tion with the brass, The two parts of thismold are indicated in Fig.` 5.as supported by'holder rods 11, whichwill .be understood to be merely diagrammatic representations of partsof the machine in which the process .is carriedl out; such two-partmold can be supported and operated in any suitableway, by hand if'desired. As thus adjusted and as indicated in Fig. 5,v moltenrlead, the same .as themetal of the pipe 1, is poured from a ladle, 'asindicated into the adjusted mold to form a .ring 12 of lead over and covering a short section of the lead pipe and all of the tinned end of the ferrule,which is thus imbedded in lead. -k The molten leadamalgamates with the tinnedsurface of the ferrule and thezexposed surface of the lead `pipe,.forming with the latter a` bond which Yis substantially l`homogeneous and ordinarily-withouta discoverable line of demarcation-to show the junction so that the attachment resulting whenthepoured lead has set is has* far greater security. In the latter, there is ordinarily no bond whatever between the proximate faces of the lead and the brass, but on the contrary a more or less open crevice commonly exists at this DQintflikely to collect and retain corrosive liquids which may ultimately destroy p the brass. The4 strength of this old joint is merely'that represented by the single bond 15 between theferrule and the wiping solder 16, or, the single bond between such solder and the surface 17 of the lead pipe. While -either or vboth :of these might be a secure bond, it is obvious failure of" either. would` producev leakage` and that v.the

strength is not comparable to that secured in the,A new varticle-wherein the ferrule. is double-bonded tothe lead .andwhereinlthe endof the ferruleis notsolder. l f .Y

It will be understoodA that. in the `adjusting of the sectionalmold 10 to the pipe, asindicated in Fig. 5, the lower part of the mold cavity isbrought into substantial registry with thefline 3,. whichy marks the limit of the part of the lead pipe, which is to form the bond. In this'way, an even.

corner, neatin appearance, is produced, as inclicated at 18 in Fig. A6. The topsurface offthe poured ring 12 after cooling is substantially flush with the end of the lead pipe .linside of the fer-z rule and may easily be dressed off with a suitable scraper or otherwise to perfect its appearance.

On the completion of the double-.bond joint, the new article of this invention has been produced and is ready to be. installed to form the whole connection between the base plate of a Vplumbing fixture. indicated diagrammatic-.ally at 19 in Fig. 1

in the usual way, and the soil pipe line; indicated' unanged lead section and a flanged brass sec-- tion permanently bondedI together. The natural flexibility of thelead permits adjustment of the article to both parts initially and thereafter accommodates the relative movement therebetween withoutdanger of leakage,;as will l.be understood;

. the plumber havingno wiped .joint to makevon the job nonrequiring any particular .skill or knack to make theinsrtallation as a'whole.

Thefollowing isclaim'ed': f 1 1 1. A ready-made waste connection comprisingy a lead pipe part and a hard' metal ferrulepa'rtv permanently `joined to each v.other andf together constituting a unitary article of manufacture .to form' the whole Waste connection between 'a plumbing fixture and an iron soil line, the lead pipe element of the article being joined by a lay-V er of solder to the. innersurface of the ferrule element and having a substantially integral lead of lead (as distinguished from solder) cast thereon so as to be integral therewith and said ring being united by a solder bond to the outside surface of said ferrule part, thereby interposing two soldered bonds successively in any possible leak path between said parts.

3. 'Ihe article of claim 1 further characterized by an annular solder fillet between the end of the lead pipe part and the inner surface of the ferrule part.

ROBERT DICK. 

